Kos - Santorini (Thira)
Ferries to Cyclades Islands
Kos - Santorini (Thira)
Ferries to Cyclades Islands
Compare live pricing across ferry operators worldwide and find the sailing that fits your trip. Booking sooner rather than later is the simplest way to secure the best fares and the widest choice.
Direct Ferries runs discounts across the calendar year. If your route qualifies for a senior discount, it's applied for you automatically as soon as you choose the correct age bracket in the passenger options when you search.
Students and recent graduates qualify for a 5% saving on their ticket. Register with our partner Student Beans to confirm your eligibility, then apply the discount code you receive at checkout.
A resident discount is also on offer for a number of Spanish and Italian crossings — select the "Residents" option where available and the price will adjust automatically. Make sure you can show proof of address, such as a residency certificate or ID card, when you check in.
Document requirements differ by route, so check what you'll need well before departure. Travelling from Kos to Santorini (Thira) generally calls for a valid passport, plus any visa or national ID your nationality requires. Since rules depend on both your citizenship and your destination's regulations, our Check-in, Travel Documents & Tickets guide is a good place to check the details and avoid delays at check-in.
Getting your tickets is simple — enter your departure port, arrival port, and preferred travel date to see every fare and sailing available. From there, you can compare alternative routes and departure times to land on the best option for your trip.
Watch for early-bird pricing and flexible ticket formats, such as upgrades or flexi-fares that allow later changes or cancellations. Enter your details accurately, including passenger count and vehicle information, to keep your booking process smooth.
A confirmation email lands in your inbox the moment your booking is finalised. How your boarding pass gets issued from there depends on the specific ferry operator.
Certain operators release your boarding pass right after booking; others want you to check in once you reach the port. Where available, the Direct Ferries app lets you check in online ahead of time.
Ticket desks sit near the ferry terminal in most cases. Give yourself extra time before departure to collect your tickets and complete check-in without stress.
You'll need to present your confirmation email plus valid photo ID — a passport or identity card — at check-in. Pet owners should bring vaccination and insurance paperwork, and anyone using a resident discount should have proof of address on hand.
A handful of reasons can explain the lack of departures from Kos to Santorini (Thira) on your selected date — timetable adjustments, sold-out sailings, or a seasonal gap are the usual culprits. Try a different date or browse other routes through our Route & Port finder.
Booking your Kos to Santorini (Thira) ferry early usually pays off, both in terms of price and choice — earlier bookings tend to unlock better fares and more departure and cabin options.
A few weeks' notice is generally enough to catch the best deals, though fares can still move depending on the season and remaining availability.
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Located in the Dodecanese group of islands, the Greek island of Kos is around 4km from the coast of Bodrum in Turkey. The island is around 40 km long and 8 km wide and has a number of towns and villages. The main town and port is also called Kos, but the island's other villages include Kefalos, Tingaki, Kardamena, Mastihari, Antimachia, Marmari and Pyli. Kos Town is usually quite and there is lots to do there. There are plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs in the town which have led to the island as a whole becoming very popular with tourists. For those visitors looking for a bargain, practically everything is available in the island's shops from ceramics to fur, shoes to books and clothes and jewellery to leather products. The most popular tourist centres on the island often also have many small shops offering handmade goods such as ceramics and embroideries along with more traditional local products such as honey, herbs, wine, sweets and spices.
There are daily services between Kos and Piraeus along with services between Kos and the rest of the Dodecanese, the islands of the north eastern Aegean and Turkey. The trip by conventional ferry can take up to 13 hours, depending on the intermediate stopovers, and the trip with a high speed boat can take between 5 and 8 hours.
The Greek island of Santorini is one of the Cyclades group of islands that lies in the south Aegean Sea. The island has very much been shaped by its volcanic past which has created a rather unusual landscape in places. A popular site on the island is the water filled 'Caldera' crater and is surrounded by a wall of colourful cliffs which are packed full of charming houses. The island is also known for its lovely beaches, its busy port, its archaeological finds and the wonderful sunsets which are best viewed from the village of Oia, on the island's northernmost tip.
The island's beaches are distinctive in that they are mainly made up of dark volcanic sands, which can get very hot during the summer, and therefore a sun lounger or towel are an essential piece of kit. The best beaches tend to be located around the eastern coastline and always popular is the stretch found at Perissa. However, a little to the south is Perivolos Beach which is also lovely as is Red Beach which is close to ancient Akrotiri, where the red cliffs are hard to miss.
